Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry?
by Elizabeth McCracken
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The singular, enchanting debut story collection from Elizabeth McCracken, now back in print as part of Ecco's "Art of the Story" series, and with a new introduction from the authorCalled "astonishingly assured" by The Guardian, the nine stories that make up Elizabeth McCracken's debut story collection deal with oddball characters doing their very best to forge connections with those around them.
In "It's Bad Luck to Die" a woman marries an older tattoo artist and finds comfort in agreeing show more to act as a canvas for his most elaborate work. "Some Have Entertained Angels, Unaware" follows a young girl as she comes face to face with a cast of eccentrics her recently-widowed father has invited to live in their expansive but dilapidated home. And in the title story, a young man and his wife are perplexed when an outspoken old woman shows up on their doorstep for a visit, claiming to be a distant aunt, even though she can't be traced on a family tree.
At once captivating and offbeat, Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry is a dazzling showcase of the early years of Elizabeth McCracken's prodigious talent.
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Member Reviews
A wondrous first set of stories. McCracken writes with an infectious joy about the strange and difficult ways people relate. Worth it for the similes. Neighbor kids? "dirty and nosy as trowels" Taciturn woman? "pale and bitter as aspirin." Among dozens.
I'm more and more impressed with this young writer. She's just marvelous. The stories have outlandish characters -- a woman entirely covered with tattoos, a mother with no arms, a woman who chooses her own relatives, a child prodigy, and lots more -- but the stories are so down to earth. They're about love, relationships, and how we see each other.
Her prose is lovely too. In this collection, and in her novels "The Giant's House" and "Niagara Falls All Over Again", I ran across sentences that I was compelled to read over and over again. Here's an example:
She was about being dead the way some people are about being British--she wasn't, and it seemed she never would be, but it was clearly something she aspired to, since all the people she show more respected were. show less
Her prose is lovely too. In this collection, and in her novels "The Giant's House" and "Niagara Falls All Over Again", I ran across sentences that I was compelled to read over and over again. Here's an example:
She was about being dead the way some people are about being British--she wasn't, and it seemed she never would be, but it was clearly something she aspired to, since all the people she show more respected were. show less
At first, completely enchanted. The first paragraph of "Some Have Entertained Angels Unaware" is *brilliant and there are many charming and witty sentences. However after about the first 5 stories, I felt a weariness grow over me. Too much quirky for quirkiness' sake? Too much repetition of certain themes? By the end I could barely stand it. There are a few really great stories and I'd love to see this author develop a bit more because she is not without talent.
am a fan of Elizabeth McCraken's work, particularly her skill in handling humor and irony. I think her stories are the best examples of good humor fiction - the kind that pokes fun at people but in a nice and heart-warming way. McCraken's stories are filled with odd characters and odd situations, her skill in writing and humor reveals the depth and humanity of her characters.
I'm head-over-heels in love with this author's writing.
I love McCracken in a totally creepy way. I just wish she had more books.
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15+ Works 4,516 Members
Awards and Honors
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry?
- Original publication date
- 1993
- Dedication
- For Ruth Jacobson,
who is my grandmother,
among many other things - First words
- Maybe you wonder how a Jewish girl from Des Moines got Jesus Christ tattooed on her three times: ascending on one thigh, crucified on the other, and conducting a miniature apocalypse beneath the right shoulder.
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- Members
- 306
- Popularity
- 104,556
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.93)
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 4
